Deliciously easy baked banana bread loaded with chocolate chips is a family favorite – try with good quality butter for a knockout breakfast!

closeup picture of the corner of banana bread with chocolate chips

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

There is nothing more comforting, warming, and delicious than a warm, gooey, and moist banana bread just out of the oven – full of melty chocolate chips and tons of fresh banana flavor.

This banana bread recipe is one of my favorites – it is designed to be easy (no separating wet and dry ingredients), and adaptable (you can swap for all sorts of ingredients).

This recipe is one of my favorite easy baked banana bread recipes – loaded with chocolate chips and tons of flavor.

I hope you love this recipe as much as my family!

If you’d like to try this recipe as blondie-style banana bars, please find my recipe here.

picture of banana bread with chocolate chips in a loaf pan

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe Substitutions

I designed this banana chocolate chip bread recipe to be adaptable – so if you’re missing one ingredient, or would like to make a tweak to better fit your tastes or diet, please check some of my easy substitutions below.

Use Brown Sugar. This recipe calls for brown sugar, instead of white sugar. While you could use white sugar, the rich caramel flavor is improved by brown sugar.

Use Butter or Oil. This recipe calls for butter instead of oil. If you only have vegetable oil or coconut oil on hand, they can be substituted in place of butter – but I like the salty richness butter brings these bars – so they almost taste like banana blondies.

Gluten Free Flour. Use gluten free all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio

Applesauce. Use applesauce in place of butter or oil for a lighter version

Banana Peanut Butter Bread. Use peanut butter chips and chocolate chips for a peanut butter banana bread recipe that will delight the whole family. Mix in 2 tbsp peanut butter for a delicious bar everyone loves.

picture of banana bread in a loaf pan with a blue and white striped towel on a table

No Need To Separate Wet and Dry Ingredients

I am a horrible rule follower – which is in part why I don’t bake a lot.

While I understand the science of mixing dry and wet items separately and adding them in a specific order for ideal results, I just never have the patience.

Thankfully, I designed this recipe to be easily mixed in one bowl – so there is less work cleaning up after.

Simply follow the steps below to make this a one bowl banana bread recipe:

Mash peeled ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Add in butter, eggs, and brown sugar and cream together.
Add in vanilla, baking soda, salt, and mix well.
Fold in flour and mix until there are no lumps – but to not overwork.
Add chocolate chips in right at the end, mixing through thoroughly.

Add ingredients to a well prepared pan and bake in oven at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (minus melted chocolate.)

picture of a loaf of banana bread sitting on a table and a slice cut off the end

How To Cut Banana Bread

If you’ve ever been frustrated by trying to cut brownies or blondies too early, you know they can break apart and crumble when cut too soon – they need time to cool and set for perfect squares.

This banana bread is a richer, more brownie-like version, making it a bit more dense and extra moist – which is completely crave-worthy, but can make getting a clean cut a bit tricky hot out of the oven.

Let banana bread cool completely before removing from pan.
Slide a knife around the side of the bread when still hot to make removing from the pan easier. (If you’re comfortable sliding it under the bread a bit too, it helps to prevent any sticking – but this can also make your banana bread break, so go easy on it.)
When banana bread has set and cooled, slice into 12 bars.
Enjoy!

picture of melted chocolate chips inside a slice of warm banana bread

How To Store Banana Bread

After you’ve baked, cooled, and served your banana bread – and have some leftover (is that possible??), it can be stored a couple of ways for you to enjoy later.

To Freze Banana Bread:

Place banana bread in a plastic bag or wrap each one individually in plastic wrap.

Freeze for up to four months.

To defrost, let sit in the refrigerator or in a cool dry place to thaw – once thawed, I like to pop in the oven for about 5-10 minutes just to warm a bit!

To Store Banana Bread:

Place in plastic bag, or wrap serving plate with plastic wrap.

If storing sliced, I like to cut small squares of parchment paper and stack banana bread slices on top of the parchment paper, so the bread slices don’t stick to each other too much.